Starting Again
by Ravengirl1011
Summary: -1st New Recruit Series- Sergeant Tom Howlett is new to UNIT, but now he's assigned to escorting the Doctor and investigating Alien Activity, his life will never be the same. His perception of the world around him will be forevever altered,will he stay?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone.**

**I'm sorry it's been such a long time, I've been really busy with exams.**

**I'm hoping this will be the start of a new series about my OC Sergant Tom Howlett, UNIT and the Third Doctor. **

**This is the first of a few stories, though I doubt you'll have to read them in order, they'll just be stories set in different times whenever I can think of them.**

**This story is set between Inferno and The Terror of the Autons. So at the moment, the Doctor does not have an assistant. **

**This chapter is just setting everything up, so I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

><p>Right, first day in a new job, I have to make a good impression. This was all that was going through Sergeant Tom Howlett's mind as he took stock of his uniform for the fiftieth time whilst waiting outside of his new superiors office. After checking his shirt, shoes, jacket, and raising a hand to make sure his black hair was still in order, he allowed his eyes to travel once more to the door in front of him, silently reading the plaque which resided on it; Brigadier Lethbridge Stuart; the leader of UNIT. His new boss. Again, he looked away, choosing to instead study the pale white skin of his hands, for lack of anything better to do. He wasn't the sort of person you'd expect to be a soldier, let alone a member of UNIT. He was medium height, not particularly muscular and, thanks to his pale skin, he gave the impression of being sickly, even though he scarcely even caught colds. Yet, here he was in UNIT headquarters, the newest recruit. Only 2 weeks ago, he'd been a regular soldier in the regular army, but then it had all changed.<p>

There had been rumours going around that UNIT was recruiting for a while, but somehow no one had yet taken the position, which was odd in itself. Normally a position in UNIT was snapped up straight away, everyone wanted to be a part of the "Hush Hush" divisions, so even if no one was completely sure what UNIT did, they wanted a piece of the action. He'd asked his superior about it on a whim, almost certain he'd be told he wasn't the right rank to apply, or that it had all just been rumours, and there was no job available. However, to his surprise, his superior had said neither of these things, instead he'd told him, that he'd been thinking of putting him forward for it and that he'd set up an interview for him. From then, he'd had an interview with the man he was currently waiting to see, The Brigadier, being asked everything and nothing: ambitions, intellect and strangely his beliefs about alien life. He'd then been put through a physical examination and some sort of IQ test, before he was told he'd been accepted, and that they expected him in 2 weeks time; today.

When he'd first arrived, he'd been met by a fellow Sergeant; John Benton. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and after the introductions he'd been more than happy to help Tom, showing him to his quarters, and giving him little snippets of advice about the running of UNIT. He'd told him where to find the canteen, various offices and the best locations to hide in, should the need arise, though Tom was sure he'd been joking about that. Overall, Tom liked the man, however one thing he'd said earlier, just after they'd met, put Tom slightly on his guard.

"Oh. So you're the one that's going to be keeping an eye on the Doc?" Benton had asked just as he'd introduced himself, though Tom had, had no idea what he'd meant by that. He hadn't actually been told what his position entailed, however when he'd told Benton this the man had simply smiled at him, knowingly.

"I think you're going to have you hands full." He'd commented slyly, before changing the topic, but still Tom was trying to figure out what he'd meant. Who was "the Doc"? Then Benton had told him where to find the Brigadier's office, and left him to it, so here he was, waiting to be addressed and told what he was supposed to be doing here. Just as Tom was thinking all of this through, the door in front of him was pulled open, and a figure stepped out into the doorway. There was no mistaking who it was: the impeccable uniform, the steely eyes and the neatly cut hair and moustache; Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart. Instantly Tom was on his feet and at attention, something he'd had driven in to him since he joined the army. The Brigadier looked him up and down, then at last spoke,

"At Ease." He said, his manner casual, but still stern. At the command, Tom allowed himself to relax, looking at his Superior officer expectantly.

"Sergeant Thomas Howlett?" The Brigadier asked, pushing his hand out in front of him.

"Yes Sir." Tom replied, automatically reaching out to firmly shake the Brigadier's hand, which seemed to earn him an satisfied glance from the man in front of him. Tom's mum had always told him that you could learn a lot about a man from his handshake.

"Good." The man in front of him responded, his lips quirking upwards, "Come in and take a seat." Letting go of the man's hand, Tom made his way into the office, and sat down in one of two chairs placed opposite a large wooden desk. The room was cluttered, but still seemed to be organised. Files, which were bursting at the seams sat by the desk on the floor, but it seemed as if they belonged there. Shutting the door, the Brigadier sat himself down in the seat on the other side of the desk, reaching into a draw and pulling out a brown file, which he placed in front of him and opened before looking up at Tom.

"Your name is Thomas Anthony Howlett, correct?" He asked, clearly checking to make sure that it was Tom's file he was reading, and not somebody else's.

"Yes Sir." He answered calmly. He loved his name, his mum had chosen it the day he was born. She always said that you had to give a baby a name the day it was born, or it wouldn't know who it was, though his dad had just said it was rubbish.

"You were born on 13th September, and you are 25 years old. Is that right?" The Brigadier asked again, after quickly skimming the file in front of him once more.

"That's right sir." Tom replied again, he'd been one of the oldest kids in his year at school, a few days earlier, and he would have been in a higher year all together. At this the Brigadier nodded before looking up at the nervous Sergeant before him.

"Sergeant, now you have been accepted into UNIT, I believe it's time you learnt what UNIT does." He stated calmly, clearly having had this conversation many times before. He reached down and pulled one of the large files up from the floor, and passed it to Tom, clearly indicating he should look through it. Tom opened it and began to skim through some of the sheets, as the Brigadier continued to speak.

"UNIT stands for United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. It was set up to investigate and protect from extraterrestrial phenomenon." At this Tom automatically looked up from the file he was studying. Extraterrestrial phenomenon? Aliens? Suddenly the Brigadier seemed to smile slightly, and Tom realized his expression must be betraying the shock he was feeling.

"As unlikely as it sounds," The Brigadier continued, "that is what UNIT looks into and specialises in. As she can see in that file, we have looked into many cases in the past." Looking more carefully at the papers in his hands, Tom's mouth almost fell open. The page he'd just been skimming over, detailed an attack by something called "The Nestene Consciousness" which could control plastic and created creatures called "Autons". A picture of these creatures was attached to the paper, and they looked to be shop window dummies, but they had guns where the right hands should have been. Tom remembered hearing something about strange dummies being found all over the country, but they hadn't been alive or killing! Aliens! There were so many cases here, he couldn't help thinking it had to be true. UNIT was definitely real, it had been around since he'd joined the army, and it was a very secretive branch. This explained why. Good grief, aliens were real!

"I have little to convince you, except those files." The Brigadier stated, gesturing towards the file in his hands, "However I'm sure you'll be more inclined to believe when you encounter your first one. Everybody is." Here Tom took the opportunity to ask a question, not sure about how the older man would react to being interrupted, or to the question itself.

"Sorry Sir," He said hesitantly, "but how do you keep this from the public view?" The Brigadier didn't seem angry with him, more pleased for some reason.

"It is very simple." The Brigadier stated, "People don't look for things they don't believe in, or want to find. If you keep the press away, the public never come looking." Thinking this through, Tom realised it did make sense. He hadn't believed in aliens, or actively looked for them, and he hadn't found out about UNIT's purpose. Aliens were considered a myth, and people wanted it to stay that way.

"Now," The Brigadier started, once again looking at the younger man, "your duties. Your main responsibility will be an escort for UNIT's Scientific Advisor. You are to stay with him, and make sure I know his whereabouts at all times. As well as normal field duties, with the rest of you platoon." That didn't sound too bad, Tom thought to himself. Perhaps a bit dull having to follow a man around, but he could handle it. What had Benton meant by having his hands full?

"Our Scientific Advisor," The Brigadier continued slightly hesitantly, "is called The Doctor. He can be difficult and rather stubborn. He likes to leave and lose him for hours on end, hence the reason you will be escorting him. Also he will not tolerate what he believes to be stupidity." Stupidity? What did that mean? Why had they chosen him if they thought he was going to be stupid?

"That is the reason we took so long to fill the position," The Brigadier explained carefully, as if trying not to offend, "we needed someone who was not just a robot and could think for themselves. That is also why you had to undergo that IQ test, and why we finally selected you." They had singled him out? Tom was halfway between being shocked and flattered, he wasn't that intelligent. While he was thinking this through the Brigadier had stood up, and almost automatically Tom followed his lead.

"Come along." The Brigadier ordered, walking towards the door, "I'll introduce you to the Doctor." Tom followed along, thinking through everything he had just found out, when suddenly, something began to bother him.

"Sir," He asked hesitantly, still walking beside his superior, "Doctor Who?" It seemed a stupid question, but surely he had to know the man's name.

"Doctor John Smith." The Brigadier replied calmly and slightly too quickly, "But just call him the Doctor, he prefers it." They then lapsed back into silence, Tom still obediently following the Brigadier. John Smith? That couldn't be his real name, could it? It was probably a false name, though why he'd need a false name was beyond him, he was just a scientist. As these thoughts continued Tom realised that the Brigadier had stooped outside a pair of blue double doors. Thinking back, Tom realised that Benton had said something about blue doors and "The Doc's lab" it seemed he was about to meet the man he'd be escorting.

"Doctor..." The Brigadier started pushing the door open, and walking in followed by Tom. However, just as he got past the threshold, he heard a voice shouting,

"Stay Out!" And he caught a glimpse of a man standing by a work surface, when suddenly a explosion filled the entire room, and he went flying.

* * *

><p><strong>So, that's Chapter 1. The Doctor comes in properly in the next chapter.<strong>

**Also, I don't know much about the army, so I'm sorry if I got a few of the relationships wrong.**

**Please Alert, Favourite and Review.**

**I'll try and update as soon as possible.**

**Til' then TTFN (Tah Tah For Now)  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello Everyone,**

**I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been busy and I didn't want to rush it.**

**In this chapter Tom finally meets The Doctor, what could go wrong?**

**Before we start, I'd like to thank GhostLord for there kind review, and I have to agree with you I wish there were more 3rd Doctor stories on here. I'd really like to thank you for your kind thoughts.**

**So, here we go, please enjoy...**

* * *

><p>The force of the explosion threw Tom backwards against the wall, swiftly followed by the Brigadier, who landed on top of him. The force of the older man's body crashing into his, forced the Sergeant's head back, making it connect painfully with the brickwork behind him. As the two soldiers collapsed onto the floor, Tom heard a distinct voice approaching, serious and proper yet tinged with annoyance and amusement,<p>

"I told you to stay out." The voice stated from somewhere nearby. At this comment, the Brigadier, who had come off the better of the two, pulled himself to his feet, leaving Tom on the floor, dazed, but now able to see the scene in front of him. Looking down at him was a tall man, perhaps in his mid 50's to 60's, with piercing blue eyes and a swatch of white hair upon his head. His whole being seemed to demand respect, but the oddest thing of all about the man was his clothing. Instead of the normal suit and lab coat you'd expect to see in a laboratory, he was wearing a light blue velvet smoking jacket, which covered a white thrilled shirt, whose sleeves could be seen sticking out at the wrists. It was an odd combination, and almost immediately Tom could say one thing about the man in front of him: eccentric!

"Well Doctor," The Brigadier replied gruffly, looking at the other man, "if you didn't insist on trying to blow up the building every other week, there wouldn't be a problem." At this point the other man, clearly the man they'd com to see; The Doctor, frowned, his voice seeming to become more sharp and defensive,

"I do not try to blow up the building, and there was a clear sign on the door, if you are so stupid as to ignore it, it's your own fault." Here the man stopped, looking back at the bench he had clearly been working at, and at the smouldering pile of metal which may at one time have been scientific equipment, " This is completely ruined," He now looked back at the Brigadier, "Honestly, if you expect me to remain here, at least allow me to conduct my research in peace."

"Doctor," The Brigadier countered again, "this is equipment is to be used for UNIT research, not for your own whims. This is a military headquarters."

Here, Tom decided he had better get up. He must look a total fool sitting there on the floor like a child, what would his superior think of him? Slowly, Tom lifted his head from where it had been resting against the brick wall, and with unsteady arms, tried to push himself up. However, just as he had got himself to a crouching position, the world seemed to spin and dark spots began to flash in front of his eyes, leaving him with no choice but slide back to the floor, where the world seemed to return to order. Resting his head back against wall, Tom eased a deep breath into his lungs, about to attempt to right himself again, when suddenly he found himself looking up at the weathered features of the Doctor.

"Are you alright?" He asked looking down at Tom, his features furrowed in worry, "Come on, let's get you onto your feet old chap." And with that the Doctor held out a hand to the young Sergeant, who automatically grasped it, and hauled the younger man to his feet. For a second the world spun in front of his eyes again, but thankfully it settled almost as soon as it had begun, just leaving him with an ache in the back of his head.

"You'll probably have a bad bump," The Doctor said to him, frowning slightly, "but I don't think you connected hard enough to have a concussion." Here his voice become harsher again, and more defensive, as he spoke,

"Of Course," He started looking at Tom, but clearly aiming it more at the Brigadier, " if you had stayed out like I told you, this wouldn't have happened." From there the Doctor made his way back over to what remained of his work bench, lifting and examining scorched pieces of metal and glass,

"I had the door shut for a reason," He explained, as he continued to examine what was left of his equipment, "I had removed most of the oxygen from the room, and the door was sealed. You opening it let more oxygen into the room and made the substances I was working with react. Thus causing the explosion." Here he looked up at the two soldiers again, his eyes narrowed in annoyance, "So, you see, it wasn't my fault. If you hadn't blundered in here, everything would have been fine."

Tom saw the Brigadier opening his mouth to reply, his face a picture of annoyance. Normally, he would never of dreamt of interrupting someone of his rank, but he could see this ending badly, so quickly he cut in, hoping his superior wouldn't notice why,

"Like oxidising a flame?" He asked, showing interest in the explanation the Doctor had just given, not really having to pretend. Science had always interested him, and now seemed a perfect enough opportunity to use that interest. At his question the Doctor looked up curiously, he'd clearly been expecting an argument with the Brigadier rather than having his brain picked by the young sergeant.

"In some respects, yes." He replied moving back from the work surface towards the younger man on the other side of the room, "The oxygen bonded with the substance, making it unstable, and because it was being heated on a Bunsen when the two bonded, it burned, and from there caused the explosion." By the end of his explanation, the Doctor was only standing about a metre away from Tom, looking at him like a scientist would an interesting specimen under a microscope, and to be frank, it made the younger man feel slightly uncomfortable.

"And who, may I ask, are you?" The Doctor asked calmly, his gaze still seeming to examine the other man, " I don't believe I've seen you at UNIT before." At this statement, the Brigadier finally spoke up, clearly having locked away his annoyance, so that he spoke in a level tone,

"Doctor, this is Sergeant Howlett. Our newest recruit." The Brigadier said steadily, his eyes darting between the two men. At hearing this the Doctor outstretched his hand, and out of human nature, Tom grasped it, shaking firmly.

"Nice to meet you." The Doctor said cheerfully, finally letting go of the other man's hand, "So what's your role here. As far as I recall we haven't had any vacancies recently." Here Tom began to feel slightly apprehensive. From what he'd seen of the Doctor, he clearly didn't know he was being assigned an escort, and he didn't seem like the type of person who would take well to the idea. How was he going to react to the news?

"Doctor," The Brigadier started, seeming to be as apprehensive as he was, "Sergeant Howlett has been assigned as your official UNIT escort." At the last word, the Doctor turned sharply towards the speaking military figure, his eyes hard and cold, and seeming to bore straight through the other man.

"Escort?" He repeated, indignantly, "Brigadier, despite what you may think, I do not need a babysitter!" His voice, seemed to get higher with annoyance, as his hands landed firmly on his hips. He looked an imposing figure, and it took all of Tom's self restraint not to back away slightly. However, it seemed the Brigadier had been on the receiving end of the Doctor's temper before, as he stepped towards the Scientist, his posture equally as authoritative as the man's in front of him,

"Doctor," he said calmly, but sternly, "while you are a part of UNIT it is vital I know where you are at all times. Sergeant Howlett will not be a "Babysitter", as you put it, he will simply keep me informed about your movements and actions. He will also be your protection should anything untoward happen." However, the Doctor didn't seem to be having any of it, in fact he seemed to become more annoyed by the Brigadier's explanation.

"Why can't you military men realise, not everything can be fixed with guns and bullets?" The scientist countered, continuing to glare at the younger man in front of him, " I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. If you wish for me to continue to act as UNIT's scientific advisor, I expect a certain amount of respect and privacy." At this point, he took his gaze from the Brigadier, to the young Sergeant, who had kept silent up until then. Tom met his steady gaze, but still felt intimidated by the older man looking him up and down,

"Besides," the Doctor continued, turning back to the Brigadier, "though I'm sure he's a fine soldier, I need someone who is more than a mindless trigger puller. Why don't you find me an assistant rather than a toy soldier?" Here, Tom began to get slightly annoyed himself, toy solder? He hadn't gone up against the IRA just to be mocked by an arrogant scientist. Just, as the Brigadier was about to respond, Tom found himself stepping forward to address the Doctor,

"In all due respect sir," He stated, as the Doctor turned once more to look at him, "I may not be a qualified scientist, but I have a mind of my own. I like to think I understand quite a bit about science, I don't understand how you can judge me so quickly, and I resent being insulted in such a way." He noticed his voice had begun to get higher as he went along, and now a thick silence lay heavy across the laboratory. The Doctor looked slightly taken aback, and Tom's mind was racing. Great. It was his first day, and he'd just offended one of his superiors, bye-bye UNIT! However, what the Doctor said next, was definitely not what he was expecting,

"I apologise." He said calmly, looking slightly guilty, but he seemed to be smiling as well, "I had no right to judge you like that. However, the point still stands, I need an assistant, not an escort." Here, the Brigadier decided to step back in after calmly watching the young sergeant's outburst. Tom mentally sighed, as the older man decided not to bring it up, instead choosing to address the Doctor once again,

"Doctor," he began, his face impassive, "we are still trying to locate an assistant for you, and I can assure you, measures were taken to make sure Sergeant Howlett was the right man for the job. I must insist that if you don't have an escort, you will not permitted to leave this base." The Doctor seemed furious suddenly, his eyes open wide,

"You have no right, or means to keep me here!" He cried, loudly, "It's bad enough I'm stuck on Earth, I refuse to be held captive in this building!" As he finished, his body seemed to lose some of its rigidity, turning to once again examine the young sergeant who was being forced onto him. Tom could practically see the cogs working in the older man's head as he considered the pros and cons of agreeing to the Brigadier's demands. Finally, it seemed he'd made up his mind, letting out a sigh, he turned back to the older military officer,

"Very well," He huffed, almost sulkily, "I'll allow Sergeant Howlett to go around with me, however you know as well as I do Brigadier, he will not be able to stop me going somewhere I want to." Tom felt a small shiver travel down his spine, what did he mean by that? However, he didn't have much time to contemplate this, as the Brigadier was now addressing him,

"Sergeant," He said sternly, "please come outside with me." Before quickly making his way out of the door, followed by Tom. As the door swung shut behind them, he was certain he heard the Doctor muttering something or another, he hadn't caught the exact words, but he was sure it couldn't be good. The pair took a few steps down the corridor, before the Brigadier finally spoke to him,

"Sergeant," He began, "I want to know the Doctor's whereabouts at all times. If you leave the base, radio into me first, and make sure you stay with him at all times." Here the Brigadier paused, taking the opportunity, to hand Tom a large, bulky radio, which the Sergeant automatically tucked into his back pocket,

"Your to stay with him in the laboratory, whenever necessary," He continued, though here he began to slow, "I will remind you that you are on 1 weeks probation, during which time you are still able to return to the regular army. I know the Doctor is a difficult man to get along with, and it's your decision." The Brigadier then nodded his head, and walked away, leaving Tom to feel slightly apprehensive. From what he'd seen of the man, and from what he'd been told, he wasn't sure how this was going to go. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the doors open, and returned to the laboratory where the Doctor was fiddling with another piece of strange equipment . As Tom entered, the other man looked up,

"Been warning you about me, has he?" The older man asked, as he returned to what he was doing. Not knowing what else to do Tom, began to look around the lab, looking at each individual piece of strange equipment, and the even more bizarre police phone box sitting in the corner of the room, he could hear something faintly coming from it; like singing . However, just has he was approaching it, he suddenly felt and hand fall onto his shoulder,

"So what's your name?" The Doctor asked from beside him, guiding him away from the odd box. It took a moment for Tom to think of what the older man was talking about, then it hit him, he wanted his first name?

"Thomas." he responded automatically, before reconsidering, "Tom." The Doctor smiled slightly at the younger man, still with a firm grip on the man's shoulder,

"Well Tom," He started, finally letting the young sergeant go, to return to his work, "I feel I must warn you. You have no idea what I can do, and I can assure you, you won't be able to stop me doing what I need to do." As he finished his voice had become lower, almost threatening, causing Tom to shiver slightly at its intensity. His mind whirled, trying to work out what may happen, before it suddenly went back to what Benton had told him that morning, how he was going to have his hands full. Then what the Brigadier had said about only moments before, offering him the choice of going back to the regular army, it couldn't be that bad, could it? Turning back to glance at the older man, who was now dismantling God knows what, Tom inwardly sighed. What had he got himself into?

* * *

><p><strong>That's Chapter 2, I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>

**I know it was a bit long, but I like to make the chapters as detailed as possible.**

**Again, please Alert, Favourite and Review. I like to know people are actually reading my stories, and I really enjoy knowing what people think.**

**If you have any ideas such as pairings, or any cameos you's like, please write them in a review, and I'll see what I can do.**

**Til' next time! TTFN (Tah Tah For Now)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everybody!**

**I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I updated, life has been preventing me from doing much writing.**

**I'd like to thank everyone who put the story on alert, and once again GhostLord for their kind remarks.**

**I'd also like to apologise ****in advance for how long this chapter is. I really want to make it detailed and get the relationships right.**

**So, please read on. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

><p>As Tom glanced at the clock for what seemed like the 50th time, he was having trouble spotting why everyone thought UNIT was so exciting. Since their last conversation, or threat as some may call it, the Doctor had hardly spoken a word to him in the 3 hours they had shared the lab. The man himself was silently deconstructing, heaven knows what, and the silence was only occasionally broken with a request for a certain tool that was needed. However, at these points the Doctor normally ended up getting the tools himself for one simple fact; Tom had no idea what half of them were! Now, he wasn't completely ignorant. On the contrary, he was quite the mechanic at home and in the regular army often being the one called upon when things went wrong, however, he had no idea what a "Time Rotor" was, let alone what it looked like. Who did? So, at this point he was feeling as useless as a chocolate teapot, simply standing around doing nothing. He'd glanced around at everything in the lab, and though he had tried to ask the Doctor about his experiment, he was simply answered with incomprehensible grunts, so had given up. Now, he was just bored. And apparently hungry, as suddenly his stomach let out a huge growl, which even caused the Doctor to look up.<p>

"When was the last time you ate?" The older man asked, looking almost amused. Tom had to think about that, it had been a while. He'd woken up at 5am that morning in order to get to UNIT for 8am, and hadn't had time for breakfast. It was now 11am, and he hadn't eaten or drunk anything since dinner last night, no wonder he was hungry.

"It's been a while." He admitted reluctantly, waiting for the sarcastic comments that were surely about to come. However, to his surprise when the Doctor replied he sounded more concerned than anything else.

"You should eat regularly." He admonished, once again seeming to examine the young Sergeant from afar, "The human race isn't exactly known for its resistance to energy deficiency, you need a constant supply or you collapse. Such a delicate little species." The last part he seemed to mumble to himself more than Tom, a small, fond smile gracing his lips. He took a moment to enjoy the thought, before once again focusing his attention on Tom,

"In short Sergeant," He started before going back to his work, "go and get something to eat." However, Tom made no movement to do so. No matter how much he wanted to. The Brigadier had told him to stay with the older man, and in retrospect the orders from his superior officer had slightly more priority, over the orders of a eccentric scientist. Apparently not satisfied with the lack of movement, the Doctor once again looked up to face the Sergeant, annoyance beginning to edge its way into his features.

"Any particular reason your still here?" He asked, raising his eyebrows as he awaited his answer. It made Tom feel quite small, as he looked at the other man from across the room. It was the expression of someone talking to someone particularly dim-witted, and Tom couldn't help feeling almost childish as he replied.

"The Brigadier told to me to stay with you." He answered, waiting to see how the Doctor would react. To his great surprise, the man simply let out a small chuckle, before striding across the room to stand before him. His hands once again falling to his hips in that annoying authoritative stance.

"My good Sergeant," his started slowly, "if you insist on staying with me 24 hours a day, then you won't survive the week." Here he stopped, as if to think of his next argument, which gave Tom a moment to think his last comment through. Wouldn't survive the week? Was that a threat or a promise? However, before he had time to contemplate it further, the Doctor was speaking again.

"If this is going to work at all we have to trust each other." The scientist stated, "You have to trust me enough to know I won't flee the country the moment you walk out of the room." Hearing it like that, it did sound slightly silly, and it took all of Tom's self restraint not to blush. Though by the smile that suddenly spread across the Doctor's face, he could tell he had failed.

"I also need to trust you." He continued, becoming slightly more serious again, "I need to know you won't go running off to the Brigadier the second I pick up a test tube or get into the car. There are certain things I need to investigate, and I don't think he'll appreciate being called out every time I follow up my ideas." He once again stopped, before holding out his hand to Tom.

"Do we have an understanding?" The Sergeant took a moment to think it through, and decided the Doctor was right. He was a scientist, so he'd have to experiment, and there was no point in disturbing the Brigadier for nothing; he was clearly a busy man.

"Agreed." He replied, firmly shaking the Doctor's hand as if it sealed the deal between them. The older man gazed at him for a moment longer, before releasing his hand and making his way back to his work bench, however he did not immediately resume his tinkering,

"The Brigadier, while barbaric at times , is a sensible man," he started as he seemed to examine where he'd left off, "he won't mind you doing what you have to do." This was enough convincing for Tom as his stomach let out another rumble just as he turned to leave, causing the Doctor to let out another low chuckle.

"Do you need anything?" He asked the scientist, just as he opened the door, however no response came, so he decided to take that as a negative. Walking out and allowing the door to thud shut behind him, he took a few steps down the corridor before stopping. Where did Benton say the canteen was? Quickly raiding his memory, Tom came up with a vague set of directions. Benton had said something about it being at the back of the building; hadn't he? So, with that in mind he set off again, praying he wasn't going to lose himself in the seemingly endless corridors of the headquarters.

DW-DW-DW-DW-DW-DW-DW-DW

To say Tom was relieved when he finally entered the canteen was an understatement. Though he'd only got lost once, it had been quite embarrassing walking into the shooting range while 4 of his fellow soldiers were taking aim. Luckily for him, they all seemed to have experienced the same confusion when they'd joined, as one of the Corporals gave him a fresh set of directions and a knowing smile. The room had a busy feel to it, with soldiers huddled around tables talking excitedly as they ate their fill. It had an extremely familiar air, and Tom couldn't help thinking about how it highly resembled the place he had just left. Apparently soldiers were the same wherever you went. The thought made him smile as he grabbed a tray before making his way to the serving station. The woman behind the counter smiled at him before placing a plate onto the tray and as he moved along, he grinned back friendlily,

"Thank you." Tom muttered before pushing the tray further down the counter. The second woman didn't seem to be quite as friendly, as she briskly dropped a small bowl onto the tray along with a bottle of water, but out of common courtesy, Tom still smiled,

"Thanks." He said again, before moving away. That was his mother's doing, hammering manners into him since birth. She always said that you wouldn't get anywhere in life if you weren't polite. Now, where was he going to sit? For a very small organisation, UNIT had a lot of soldiers, and the room was almost completely full, with just a few spaces scattered around. However, just as Tom was about to make his way into the sea of green, he became aware of someone shouting,

"Howlett." He heard from across the room, and turning he saw the familiar figure of John Benton standing up at a table. Well, that was that decided. Automatically he made his way over. However, as he got there he noticed there was another man sitting with Benton. He turned around as Tom approached, so the young Sergeant could get a better look at him. The man was about his age with well groomed, sandy coloured hair and bright blue eyes. Almost instinctively, Tom found himself looking at the strips attached to dark green uniform; a Captain. A Captain sitting with a Sergeant? That certainly wouldn't have happened back where he'd come from. People stayed within their own rank. Then again, with what he'd seen at UNIT that day, was where someone sat really that unusual?

"Sergeant Thomas Howlett?" Asked the Captain as he stood up. Tom nodded the affirmative, not really sure how to react. They were clearly off duty as they were eating, so did he still have to salute? At his response the other man gave him a polite smile,

"Captain Mike Yates." He stated as introduction, laying his hand out to Tom. The young Sergeant quickly placed his tray on the table, before reaching out to return the gesture

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." He responded automatically, holding the Captain's hand for moment more before letting it fall and perching himself down on the free seat where he had placed his tray. Yates also took the opportunity to sit down, still peering at Tom as if inspecting him. With the energy provided by nervous hunger, Tom quickly got stuck into his meal. It was beef pie, with potatoes and mixed vegetables, and it was heavenly. Much better than the food he was used to. Then saying that, he was so hungry a bite out of the table probably would have tasted like 5 star cuisine . As he continued to make his way through the meal, Yates decided to speak up,

"So, I hear you're the one in charge of keeping watch over the Doctor." He said, taking a swig from his own bottle of water, but not letting his gaze waver from the increasingly nervous Sergeant. Placing his knife and fork down, Tom mirrored the action, opening his bottle and gulping water, before he made his response,

"That's right, sir." He answered simply, abandoning his bottle in favour if his knife and fork again. As he once again began cutting into the pastry he noticed he was getting a sympathetic smile from Yates, and a cheeky smirk from Benton.

"I must say, I don't envy you." Yates stated, picking at what was left on his own plate, "How has your first day been so far?" Tom took a moment to contemplate this. You certainly couldn't call it boring. Or could you, standing around in the lab in silence, wasn't the height of excitement, but then, how often where you caught in an explosion on your first day?

"It's been interesting." He stated slowly, before pausing, "The Doctor is certainly unique." Suddenly, a rumbling chuckle echoed out from Benton, a huge smile plastered across his features, as he tried to avoid chocking on his mouthful.

"I told you you'd have your hands full." He said as he swallowed, continuing to grin at Tom knowingly,

"I've had my fair share of cases with the Doc," Benton continued, finishing the last of his water, "I know what he's like to work with." Despite himself Tom found himself laughing slightly,

"Well," he started, "since I've met him he's gone from friendly, to angry, to arrogant and back to friendly." He allowed himself another small smile, "He's quite a character."

"That he is." Yates contributed, with a smile. Apparently having finished as he stood up, taking his tray with him.

"I have to go and speak to the Brigadier." He explained, looking down at Tom, "I'm sure I'll see you around the Base. It was nice to have met you Howlett." Yates then nodded, and took off across the room, to dispose of his tray, leaving Tom and Benton to their own devices. However, just as Tom finished his meal off, he found Benton also getting to his feet.

"I'm on patrol in 5 minutes." He also explained, as he grabbed his tray, "Good luck with the Doctor." From there Benton turned on his heel, and followed the route Yates had just walked to deposit his tray, however just as Tom lost sight of him, he heard the other Sergeant's voice glide across the hall,

"You're going to need it!" He cried, causing Tom to release another chuckle. Benton and Yates, were clearly good men, and he found himself warming to them almost instantly. Then again, it seemed as if everyone in UNIT was part of a family. Obviously there was rank, but everyone seemed comfortable with everyone else; like a family. Smiling at this thought, he tucked into the small plate of fruit, still on his tray, as pudding.

DW-DW-DW-DW-DW-DW-DW-DW

"Oh, Your back then?" Asked the Doctors as Tom re-entered the lab. It appeared to him that very little had changed. The Doctor was at the same work bench, still dismantling and altering, some strange device. Also, he still didn't appear to care that Tom was there at all. The young Sergeant counted himself lucky, that the scientist had even acknowledged the fact he'd walked in, he'd been hedging his bets that he would be met with stony silence. Which is exactly what they fell into, only being broken by requests for tools. Tools, which thankfully, Tom knew the identity of, so he didn't feel like he wasn't doing anything. Just not a lot. This went on for about half an hour, when suddenly the door was pushed open, and in strode the familiar face of Mike Yates.

Automatically Tom jumped to attention, he was a higher rank and they were on duty now, so found himself doing it without even thinking. However, this earned him a pointed glance of annoyance form the Doctor, as he turned to address the Captain.

"Captain Yates," He said pleasantly, stepping away from his work, "what brings you here?" Yates nodded in order to acknowledge the Doctor's greeting, before giving Tom a glance, which clearly showed that his salute was no longer necessary, and gratefully Tom relaxed, curious himself about the nature of Yates visit.

"I have a file from the Brigadier." Yates explained, pulling a small brown file out from under his arm and handing it to the Doctor, who quickly accepted it before he began to flick through , stopping on occasion to glance at specific details.

"The residents of the town of Whittlesey have reported strange visions almost every night." Yates explained, keeping a level tone, "They also claim to hear strange noises through the night, and some have reported sightings of unknown creatures. The Brigadier would like to investigate." Here Yates stopped, and Tom found himself looking at the Doctor in order to see his reaction. The man was frowning slightly as he skimmed the file before once again looking up at the Captain,

"It says here there was a reported alien craft crash, in the same town, not 3 months ago." The Doctor stated, "Why didn't you investigate then?" It was a good point, thought Tom, as he glanced back at Captain Yates, who appeared to be thinking of a response.

"We did send 2 soldiers to investigate," He explained hastily, "but they reported there was no sign of a crash. We put it down as a false sighting." Here the Doctor let out an irritated sigh. Apparently, he hadn't like what he'd heard, and Tom could have sworn he heard him mumble under his breath about how they should have informed him.

"I take it these visions started after the crash?" He asked, the Captain confirming with a nod of his head.

"Very well." He said, closing the folder, "I'll look into it. I trust I'm allowed to leave the building." Tom found himself smiling at the pure sarcasm dripping from the man's words, and it took a lot of self restraint not to laugh. Apparently, it had made the same impression on Yates, who's expression mirrored his own,

"Of course, Doctor," He started, before his smile faded slightly, "though, naturally, you'll be accompanied by Sergeant Howlett." He tone sounded nervous, as if he feared the Doctor would refuse, and to be honest Tom couldn't blame him. He had half a mind to think the Doctor was going to run off by himself, but to his great relief that didn't appear to be the case.

"Naturally." The Doctor stated, walking over to a nearby coat stand and pulling on a black travelling cloak. On anyone else, Tom would have called it silly, however it looked right on the Doctor, seeming to make him even more imposing than before.

"Come along, Sergeant." The Doctor called, as he made his way towards the door, making Tom feel every bit like the following spaniel. Yates had already left, so he was left to follow the Doctor through the endless corridors alone. Then suddenly he remembered something, he had to check in with the Brigadier.

"Just a moment." He called, causing the Doctor to stop and turn towards him, clearly eager to leave the base. The young Sergeant was more than aware of the Doctor's impatient sighing and tapping as he pulled out the radio set,

"Greyhound 1. Come in, please. Over." He spoke clearly, as he held down the button before releasing it. Hearing the Doctor's indignant huff in the brief pause which followed, then suddenly the small device crackled into life,

"This is Greyhound 1," Came the Brigadier's voice, "what is it Sergeant Howlett?" Taking a moment to allow the static to go down, Tom once again held down the button,

"The Doctor and I are leaving the base, Sir. We are to travel to the town of Whittlesey. Over." Another pause, then another crackle of static, as his superior responded,

"Very well, Sergeant. You may leave. Over." Tom then turned off the small device, before pocketing it, and once again turning to the Doctor. However, the other man seemed to have completely lost his patience as he was already halfway down the corridor.

"Are you coming?" The receding figure called over his shoulder, causing Tom to grin, as he jogged after the older man, following him out to the garage.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and sorry again for the length. <strong>

**In later chapters I am thinking of putting in some more mature themes, however I'd like your opinion, as I don't want to ruin it.**

**I will also try to update, but it may take a while.**

**Please Review, Alert and Favourite.**

**Until next time TTFN (Tah Tah For Now)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello,**

**I'm afraid that I'm having to reupload this chapter, as the website decided to just delete it (I'm not sure why)  
><strong>

**I took the oppurtunity to fix some mistakes, as I couldn't help noticing that I called the car 'Bettie' rather than 'Bessie' a few times. I'm meant to be studying English, so we can see how that's going.  
><strong>

**I'm currently workin on Chapter 5, which should be up soon, sorry about the delays, but I'm so grateful to everyone who has stuck with this. I really do love writing this, when I can.  
><strong>

**So, if you haven't read it yet, I hope you enjoy the chapter.  
><strong>

**If you have, then Chapter 5 is coming soon.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The trip to Whittlesey was interesting to say the least. Well, it hadn't started well, so why should it end well? As Tom had run into the garage in pursuit of the Doctor, he had got quite the shock to discover the man, sitting in a small, yellow, Edwardian roadster. For a moment, he just stared at it, the Doctor couldn't be serious, could he? It was a beautiful little thing, even he could appreciate that, but he didn't quite trust it to be transporting them 60 miles along motorways. It looked as if anything above 30 miles per hour, would cause it to fall apart.<p>

"Well?" The Doctor asked, staring at him from behind the wheel, "Are you getting in, or are you just going to stand there and stare all day?"

Here it took a while for Tom to find his voice, he really was serious!

"Wouldn't you rather go in the jeep, sir?" He asked in vain, hoping to at least get the Doctor to consider. "It's just with time constraints..."

However, this just seemed to annoy the older man, who had clearly already made up his mind, as he interrupted him,

"No I would not." The Doctor replied indignantly, "Those things have the technical and safety precautions of a tin can. Bessie will be more than capable of getting us to Whittlesey."

Bessie? Tom thought to himself, continuing to stare at both the car and the man inside of it. He'd named his car?

"For God's sake man, the car won't bite" The Doctor huffed, apparently having reached the end of his patience as he turned the ignition of the small machine, allowing it to burst into life,

"Despite what the Brigadier says," The scientist stated from behind the wheel, as he frowned up the younger man, "I have no issue with leaving you behind. Get into the car, Sergeant."

Here, Tom finally relented. He was never going to convince the Doctor, was he? So, with a sigh, he lowered himself down into the leather passenger seat beside the scientist, finding himself smiling slightly, as he realised just how far down it really was. Though apparently, the Doctor didn't seem to share his sense of humour, frowning once again as he caught sight of the soldier's smirk,

"Is my car funny, Sergeant?" He asked, distain dripping off every word, as he stared at the younger man, "Would you care to walk to Whittlesey?"

Despite the fact that, judging by the age of the car he was currently sitting in, it would have been safer to walk, Tom quickly schooled his features into a clear mask. Though inwardly he was still grinning like a Cheshire Cat, he forced himself to keep his voice steady,

"No, Doctor." He said simply, before allowing a small smile to crack through his facade, "Sorry, Sir."

Apparently, all was forgiven, as the Doctor returned a small smile of his own, before once again, allowing his features to drop back into their usual disapproving look. Quickly, he reversed the car out of the garage, giving a appreciative nod to the soldier who had opened the large sliding door for them, before driving down to the front gates. As they stopped, awaiting the opening of the large metal barrier in front of them, the Doctor quickly reached across and opened up the glove compartment in front of Tom,

"Make yourself useful." He said pulling out a large map and dropping into the Sergeant's lap, "I'm sure you can handle giving directions."

Tom, who was still attempting to work out why on earth the Doctor would need a hairdryer in his glove compartment, quickly looked up.

"Of course, Sir." He muttered, hurriedly opening the map up and attempting to find their location. Though just as he believed he'd found it, the Doctor apparently decided to put his foot down, as the car suddenly lurched forward as it accelerated, causing Tom to drop the paper from his grasp. The car had no roof, meaning the wind was more than powerful enough to blow the map away, and it was just by luck that Tom managed to catch it before it was lost. As he quickly pulled it back down to his lap, attempting to hold it there, the young Sergeant found himself glancing at the Doctor beside him, who was currently sporting a smug smile,

"What was that you were saying," The Doctor started, the smile not faltering as he stared ahead at the road, "about Bessie being slow, Sergeant?"

When they finally arrived in Whittlesey, Tom found himself considering the Doctor's early option of walking, and beginning to wish he'd taken it. He'd faced bombs and guns, been kidnapped and held captive, but none of those things seemed to compare to the terror or plummeting down the motorway at 60 miles per hour; on wooden wheels! He'd spent most of the time worrying that the car would fall apart as they were moving. Though true to the Doctor's word it hadn't taken as long as he thought it would. Though, with the wind provided by the lack of a roof, it had been near impossible to read the map, resulting in more than one wrong turning. And, of course, according to the Doctor, that was all his fault. The journey had mostly been taken in silence, only being broken by him shouting directions, the Doctor telling him that he was wrong and muttering over how it isn't difficult to read a map, and the Doctor's occasional humming of odd melodies, that Tom had never heard before.

As they parked in the town square, Tom found himself practically jumping out of the car as it came to a stop. Which earned him an annoyed look from the other man,

"So where do you want to start, Doctor?" He asked, absentmindedly straightening out his uniform, the wind having taken its toll on that as well.

"There's only one place to get information in a village like this, Sergeant." He told the younger man, as he too began to straighten out his jacket, "You have to go to the heart."

This made Tom frown slightly, he'd always been a city boy, having been born and bred in London, so he knew very little about villages like this. What did the Doctor mean by the heart?

"So, where's the heart of the village, Doctor?" He asked, trying to mask his confusion, though as he saw the older man begin to stride off, he guessed he wouldn't be getting an answer. As they walked side by side, Tom couldn't help wondering what the Doctor had planned,

"Where are we..." He started before he realised that the Doctor had headed off in the other direction, stopping in front of what looked to be one of the oldest buildings in the village, above the large oak door hung a sign, apparently naming the place 'The Fox Inn'

"You see, Sergeant" The Doctor stated, pushing open the door and striding in, "The best place for information in a small place like this; is the local pub."

Taking in what he'd just heard, Tom found himself grinning slightly, before follow the older man into the warm and musty building.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.<strong>

**Again Chapter 5 should be up soon.  
><strong>

**Until Next Time **

**TTFN (Tah Tah For Now)  
><strong>


End file.
